System and method for downloading software and services
First Claim
1. A method for downloading up-to-date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the up-to-date versions of selected of software to a hardware unit, the network comprising a first software handling machine configured to execute a download manager, a second software handling machine configured to execute a download supervisor and a plurality of download servers for downloading the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors, the method comprising:
- associating, by said download manager, a transaction identifier of the hardware unit with selection data indicating the selected software for which said up-to-date versions of selected of software are to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the selected software includes software that were pre-configured into the hardware unit at or before the time of sale of the hardware unit; and
further wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit;
recording, by said download supervisor, said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data in a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine;
sending a download transaction request comprising the transaction identifier of the hardware unit from the download manager to the download supervisor of the second software handling machine;
determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, the selection data for the hardware unit by looking up the transaction identifier of the hardware unit in the central database; and
responsive to determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, that the requested download transaction is authorized, performing the steps of;
assembling, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication code provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine;
communicating the download/installation instruction from the download supervisor of the second software handling machine to the download manager; and
performing, by the download manager, a download and installation of the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to the download/installation instruction,wherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for downloading substantially up to date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the software to a hardware unit includes a first software handling machine in the network configured to execute a download manager that sends a download transaction request including an identifier associated with the selected software over the network, and downloads and installs the selected software pursuant to a download/installation instruction, and also includes a second software handling machine in the network configured to execute a download supervisor to determine whether the requested download transaction is authorized, and, if so, to communicate a download/installation instruction to the download manager to enable it to download and install the selected software.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method for downloading up-to-date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the up-to-date versions of selected of software to a hardware unit, the network comprising a first software handling machine configured to execute a download manager, a second software handling machine configured to execute a download supervisor and a plurality of download servers for downloading the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors, the method comprising:
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associating, by said download manager, a transaction identifier of the hardware unit with selection data indicating the selected software for which said up-to-date versions of selected of software are to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the selected software includes software that were pre-configured into the hardware unit at or before the time of sale of the hardware unit; and
further wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit;recording, by said download supervisor, said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data in a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine; sending a download transaction request comprising the transaction identifier of the hardware unit from the download manager to the download supervisor of the second software handling machine; determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, the selection data for the hardware unit by looking up the transaction identifier of the hardware unit in the central database; and responsive to determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, that the requested download transaction is authorized, performing the steps of; assembling, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication code provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine; communicating the download/installation instruction from the download supervisor of the second software handling machine to the download manager; and performing, by the download manager, a download and installation of the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to the download/installation instruction, wherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for downloading software to a hardware unit from a plurality of software vendors over a network, the system comprising:
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a plurality of software vendor download servers in the network for providing up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors; a first software handling machine in the network and linked to the hardware unit, the first software handling machine executing a download manager, the download manager initiating a download/installation transaction comprising selected software to be downloaded to the hardware unit from one or more of the plurality of download servers, sending a transaction identifier of the hardware unit in a download transaction request to a download supervisor of a second software handling machine over the network, and downloading and installing the selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to a download/installation instruction received in response to the download transaction request, said selected software being determined at the time of sale of the hardware unit, wherein said transaction identifier of the hardware unit are associated with selection data indicating said selected software of which said up-to-date versions of selected software to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit; the second software handling machine in the network executing the download supervisor, the download supervisor determining whether the download transaction request is authorized, and, in response to determining by the download supervisor that the transaction is authorized by looking up the transaction identifier of the hardware unit in the central database, assembling a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication code provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine, and to send the download/installation instruction to the download manager; a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine, the download supervisor record said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data into the central database; and wherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for downloading up-to-date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the up-to-date versions of selected software to a hardware unit, the network comprising a first software handling machine configured to execute a download manager, a second software handling machine configured to
execute a download supervisor and a plurality of download servers for downloading the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors, the method comprising: -
associating, by said download manager, a transaction identifier of the hardware unit with selection data indicating the selected software for which said up-to-date versions of selected software are to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the selected software includes software that were pre-configured into the hardware unit at or before the time of sale of the hardware unit, and further wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit; sending a download transaction request comprising the transaction identifier of the hardware unit from the download manager to the download supervisor of the second software handling machine; recording, by said download supervisor, said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data in a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine; determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, the selection data for the hardware unit by looking up the transaction identifier of the software unit under central database; responsive to determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, that the requested download transaction is authorized, performing the steps of; assembling, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication codes provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine; communicating the download/installation instruction from the download supervisor of the second software handling machine to the download manager; and
performing, by the download manager, a download and installation of the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to the download/installation; andwherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus.
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37. A method for downloading up-to-date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the up-to-date versions of selected software to a hardware unit, the network comprising a first software handling machine including a point of sale application and configured to execute a download manager, a second software handling machine configured to execute a download supervisor and a plurality of download servers for downloading the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors, the method comprising:
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associating, by said download manager, a transaction identifier of the hardware unit with selection data indicating the selected software for which said up-to-date versions of selected software are to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the selected software includes software that were pre-configured into the hardware unit at or before the time of sale of the hardware unit, and further wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit; recording, by said download supervisor, said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data in a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine; sending a download transaction request comprising the transaction identifier of the hardware unit from the download manager to the download supervisor of the second software handling machine; determining, by the point of sale application of the first software handling machine, the selection data for the hardware unit by looking up the transaction identifier of the hardware unit in the central database; and responsive to determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, that the requested download transaction is authorized, performing the steps of; assembling, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication codes provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine; communicating the download/installation instruction from the download supervisor of the second software handling machine to the download manager; and performing, by the download manager, a download and installation of the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to the download/installation instruction, and wherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus.
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Specification